The risks of sport

It is well established that there are health benefits from sport:

• Obesity. Physical activity can make a significant contribution to the control and reduction of obesity.
• Cardiovascular Disease. It is known that regular physical activity and increased cardio-respiratory fitness reduce the risk of heart related problems.
• Non-insulin Dependent Diabetes. Physical activity may reduce the risk of developing non-insulin dependant diabetes as this is related to inactivity and obesity.
• Colon Cancer. The link between inactivity and a variety of cancers has grown over the last decade.
• Osteoporosis (weak bones). There is some evidence to suggest that load- bearing activity throughout childhood and early adolescence can contribute to the reduction in the incidence of osteoporosis

The risks of sport

Sadly with increased physical activity comes the risk of increased injury. Broadly, there are two types of injury. Firstly intrinsic, which are injuries that occur without any apparent cause and secondly, extrinsic, which occur when external forces are applied to the body. Sports injuries occur in both adults and children.